Brogan banks on Dubs’ self-belief

BERNARD BROGAN believes Dublin’s All-Ireland semi-final slugfest against Donegal was the strangest game he’d ever played in.

“It’s a match that we would probably have lost up until quite recently,” he said.

“Donegal were excellent at frustrating us and their effective game plan hit us hard. But the key to victory was a level of patience, discipline,composure under pressure and selfbelief that we have worked hard to bring into our game. In other years that wouldn’t have been the case and we would have got nervous when the match was so tight and we were still behind well into the second-half.

“What was most pleasing about the win was that we showed a strength of character that has been questioned by pundits in the past. We stuck to the game plan and continued to work hard as we have done all year and when the chances came we made the most of them and the reward is a first All-Ireland final in 16 years. No one on the squad got carried away afterwards. Everyone knows there is more work to do and it’s not time to sit back and pat ourselves on the back.”

He also thinks Dublin’s attacking resources are such that they’d have been able to overcome the loss of a suspended Diarmuid Connolly for the All-Ireland final against Kerry.

The Dubs’ top marksman says that based on training, the likes of Kevin McManamon, Mossy Quinn and Eoghan O’Gara are fully capable of making the step up and delivering for the Leinster champions.

“It’s great news that Diarmuid Connolly has successfully appealed his red card,” added Brogan.

“I think anyone who saw the incident would feel that the red card was harsh and would not be serious enough to keep a player out of the biggest game of his career. Diarmuid has had a great season and it would have been awful for him to miss out,” he blogged on Vodafone’s Dub Hub website (www.hill16.ie/thedubhub).

“Getting to an All-Ireland final is brilliant but we are not satisfied with just being here. We know Kerry will be a very serious test with all of their experience. Hard work has been a philosophy that we have stuck rigidly to all year and after getting the media night, the open night with supporters and a lot of the sideshows out of the way early, we’ve cleared a path to put the head down and focus on being ready for September 18.”